Taylor Sheridan is undoubtedly one of the most powerful voices in the TV space with his shows being the flagship entries of the Paramount+ network. Yellowstone became a sensation in 2018 and it has spawned several spin-offs including 1883 and 1923. The show is Sheridan’s masterpiece and none of his other shows have ever come close to its impact on audiences.
However, its inception was a different story altogether. By the 2010s, the Western genre had faded in popularity compared to the 50s-70s era. Yellowstone being in that genre created a lot of difficulty for Sheridan in convincing networks and studios to bankroll the project.
Taylor Sheridan Understood Studios’ Hesitation in Greenlighting Yellowstone
Westerns were once the dominant genre in the industry during the 50s and to the late 70s when directors like John Ford and Sergio Leone entertained audiences with their distinct styles and stories. However, by the early 2000s, it seemed like the genre became irrelevant as not many people were making them anymore on the big screen.
Taylor Sheridan debuted as a writer in 2015’s Sicario. Additionally, he was also developing a neo-Western show titled Yellowstone. However, none of the studios or networks were interested in greenlighting a Western for the small screen when its popularity was already dwindling on the big screen.
In an interview with CBS News, Sheridan stated that by the 2010s, Hollywood had considered the Western genre ‘dead’ and one of its major factors was the underwhelming nature of the few Westerns that were coming out at the time. He said,
“Look, anytime that Hollywood says a genre is dead, it’s because they made a bunch of bad movies about it.”
However, Paramount Network President Chris McCarthy found Sheridan’s Yellowstone to be “really such a different show and much more complex”. Their big risk ultimately paid off in the end as Yellowstone led by Kevin Costner would become the flagship show of the network with many people tuning in to watch it.
Taylor Sheridan’s New Show Will Be a Departure from His Usual Western Stories
Taylor Sheridan may be one of the busiest people in Hollywood as he is making several shows for Paramount+ in addition to Yellowstone and its spin-offs. One of them is the upcoming show Landman which will star Jon Hamm, Billy Bob Thornton, Demi Moore, and Ali Larter, and is based on the 11-part podcast Boomtown, chronicling the “modern-day tale of fortune-seeking in the world of oil rigs”. Hamm recently talked to People about the project.
The Mad Men star revealed that there is no cowboy element in the show like Sheridan’s Yellowstone and will instead be an intense show about individuals seeking land to extract oil in Texas. Hamm also ensured that the show would have the trademarks of a Sheridan project with all the intrigue and politics that come with such a premise. He said,
“It’s not actually cowboy-oriented at al. It’s based on oil speculators and what they called landmen, which are the guys that run around and try to acquire mineral rights and land rights in the hope of speculating and finding oil. It’s got Billy Bob Thornton and Demi Moore, so it’s a tremendous cast and it’s been super fun to work on. And obviously, Taylor Sheridan’s in charge of everything, so it’s a great project.”
The show will debut on Paramount+ next year and Hamm has completed half of the planned shoot for the series. Sheridan also has the final few episodes of Yellowstone left to be filmed and the second seasons of 1923 and Tulsa King. It seems Sheridan has his hands full for the time being as he continues serving great content for audiences to watch.
Fans can watch Yellowstone on Paramount+.
